Hand of the day #391
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the...
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the players in the article.
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♦Q
One of the biggest problems we all encounter at the bridge table is what I have previously referred to as Premature Euphoria. This deal, which comes from a recent major championship, was played in four spades by South in both rooms.
In one room, where the Italians were declaring, West hit upon the devastating lead of the heart queen. Now whatever declarer did, he was sunk.
In the other room Alfredo Versace was not blessed with second sight. He led the diamond queen, which gave declarer a good chance to make her contract. Monica Cuzzi won her ace and correctly shifted to a heart. Versace inserted the queen and declarer won the first heart and crossed to the club king, then played the diamond king to pitch a heart. Now she ruffed a diamond to dummy to play a spade to her king.
Alas for her, Versace could win his spade ace and return a heart to his partner. A further heart then sealed declarer’s fate since the spade jack was promoted to a defensive trick whatever she did next.
Had the play not started so well for declarer, she might well have thought longer and harder about the route to success. All declarer had to do was to duck the first heart trick. She then can win the heart continuation and take the heart discard as before, then lead a trump. West has to win, but the key difference now is that he can no longer reach his partner via a heart for the trump promotion.
Lead with the aces
Answer: ♠Q
Players are always taught to lead fourth highest of their longest and strongest, but with a relatively weak hand, you could consider trying to hit partner. Leading a diamond would be a truly wild shot, but if you find your partner with honor-fourth or -fifth in one major, which suit will be easier to set up? I say spades, so lead the spade queen.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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